Deliverance: Difference between revisions
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{{short description|1972 film by John Boorman}} |
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{{Infobox Film | name = Deliverance |
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{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2023}} |
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| image = Deliverance.jpg |
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{{Infobox film |
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| caption = Original movie poster |
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| name = Deliverance |
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| director = [[John Boorman]] |
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| image = Deliverance poster.jpg |
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| producer = John Boorman |
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| alt = |
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| writer = '''Novel & screenplay:'''<br>[[James Dickey]] |
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| caption = Theatrical release poster by [[Bill Gold]] |
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| starring =[[Jon Voight]]<br>[[Burt Reynolds]]<br>[[Ned Beatty]]<br>[[Ronny Cox]]<br>[[James Dickey]] |
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| director = [[John Boorman]] |
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| music = |
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| producer = John Boorman |
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| cinematography = [[Vilmos Zsigmond]] |
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| screenplay = [[James Dickey]] |
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| based_on = {{Based on|''[[Deliverance (novel)|Deliverance]]''|James Dickey}} |
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| distributor = [[Warner Bros.]] |
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| starring = {{Plainlist| |
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| released = [[July 30]], [[1972 in film|1972]] |
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* [[Jon Voight]] |
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| runtime = 109 min |
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* [[Burt Reynolds]] |
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|country = [[USA]] [[Image:Flag of the United States.svg|22px|USA]] |
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* [[Ned Beatty]] |
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| language = English |
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* [[Ronny Cox]] |
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| budget = |
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| amg_id = 1:13142 |
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| imdb_id = 0068473 |
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}} |
}} |
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| cinematography = [[Vilmos Zsigmond]] |
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| editing = [[Tom Priestley]] |
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| music = [[Eric Weissberg]] |
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| studio = Elmer Enterprises |
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| distributor = [[Warner Bros.]] |
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| released = {{Film date|1972|07|30}} |
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| runtime = 109 minutes |
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| country = United States |
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| language = English |
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| budget = $2 million |
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| gross = $46.1 million |
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}} |
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'''''Deliverance''''' is a 1972 American thriller film directed and produced by [[John Boorman]] from a screenplay by [[James Dickey]], who adapted it from his own [[Deliverance (novel)|1970 novel]]. It follows four businessmen from [[Atlanta]] who venture into the remote [[Appalachia|northern Georgia wilderness]] to see the [[Cahulawassee River]] before it is dammed, only to find themselves in danger from the area's inhabitants and nature. It stars [[Jon Voight]], [[Burt Reynolds]], [[Ned Beatty]], and [[Ronny Cox]], with the latter two making their feature film debuts. |
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''Deliverance'' was a critical and commercial success. It earned three [[Academy Awards|Academy Award]] nominations and five [[Golden Globe Award]] nominations, and grossed [[US dollar|$]]46.1 million on a budget of $2 million. It became a popular culture landmark for a scene featuring Cox's character playing "[[Dueling Banjos]]" on guitar with a banjo-picking country boy, and garnered notoriety for a scene in which Beatty's character is brutally raped by a mountain man. In 2008, it was selected for preservation in the United States [[National Film Registry]] by the [[Library of Congress]] as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".<ref>{{Cite web|title=Cinematic Classics, Legendary Stars, Comedic Legends and Novice Filmmakers Showcase the 2008 Film Registry|url=https://www.loc.gov/item/prn-08-237/2008-entries-to-national-film-registry-announced/2008-12-30/|access-date=2020-09-25|website=Library of Congress}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Complete National Film Registry Listing |url=https://www.loc.gov/programs/national-film-preservation-board/film-registry/complete-national-film-registry-listing/|access-date=2020-09-25|website=Library of Congress}}</ref> |
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'''''Deliverance''''' is a [[1972 in film|1972]] [[Warner Bros. Studios|Warner Bros.]] motion picture drama directed by [[John Boorman]]. Principal cast members include [[Burt Reynolds]], [[Ronny Cox]], [[Jon Voight]], and [[Ned Beatty]]. The film is based on a [[1970 in literature|1970]] novel of the same name by [[United States|American]] author [[James Dickey]]. |
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== |
==Plot== |
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Lewis Medlock, Ed Gentry, Bobby Trippe, and Drew Ballinger are [[Atlanta]] businessmen who decide to canoe down the [[Cahulawassee River]] in the remote [[Appalachia|northern Georgia wilderness]] before it is dammed. Lewis is an avid outdoorsman and survivalist who leads the group, and Ed has been on several trips but lacks Lewis's ego, while Bobby and Drew are novices. En route to their launch site, the men, in particular Bobby, are rude toward the locals, who are hostile to the "city boys". At a local gas station, Drew, with his guitar, engages a young banjo-playing boy in a musical duel. The duel is mutually enjoyable, and some of the locals break into dance at the sound of it. However, the boy does not acknowledge Drew when prompted for a friendly handshake. |
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Widely acclaimed as a landmark film, ''Deliverance'' is the story of four [[suburb]]an professional men from [[Atlanta, Georgia|Atlanta]], [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]] on a weekend canoe and camping trip. The film is noted for the memorable music scene near the beginning that sets the tone for what lies ahead: a trip into unknown and potentially dangerous territory. In the scene, set at a rural [[gas station]], character Drew Ballinger plays the instrumental ''[[Dueling Banjos]]'' on his guitar with a mentally retarded [[hillbilly]] named Lonny (implied as being an [[inbreeding|inbred]] [[albino]] in the novel, portrayed by [[Billy Redden]] in the film). The boy eventually outplays Drew with his banjo. The song won the 1974 ''[[Grammy Award for Best Country Instrumental Performance]]''. |
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The four friends travel in pairs and their two canoes become separated. Ed and Bobby encounter a pair of mountain men emerging from the woods, one carrying a shotgun and missing his two front teeth. Following an argument, Bobby is forced by the men to undress and the unarmed man rapes him, demanding he "squeal like a pig", while Ed is tied to a tree and held at gunpoint. Lewis sneaks up and kills the rapist with his bow and arrow while Ed snatches the shotgun from the other mountain man, who flees into the woods. After a heated debate between Lewis and Drew, Ed and Bobby vote to side with Lewis' plan to bury the body and continue on as if nothing had happened. The four continue downriver but the canoes reach a dangerous stretch of rapids. As Drew and Ed reach the rapids in the lead canoe, Drew falls into the water. |
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''Deliverance'' was shot in the [[Tallulah Gorge]] in [[Tallulah Falls, Georgia]] and on the [[Chattooga River]], dividing the states of [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]] and [[South Carolina]]. Additional scenes were shot as well in [[Clemson, South Carolina]]. Since the film's release, more than thirty people have drowned attempting to recreate the canoe trip along the section of the river where the film was shot.<ref>{{Fact|date=February 2007}}</ref> The rapids within both book and film become a major symbol and plot device to reflect the natural dangers of the untamed [[wilderness]] in the face of inexperienced urban [[outsider]]s. |
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The canoes collide on the rocks, throwing the three remaining men into the river and smashing one of the canoes. Lewis breaks his thigh bone and the other two are washed ashore alongside him in a gorge. Lewis, who believes Drew fell out of the boat because he was shot, encourages Ed to climb to the top of the gorge and ambush the other mountain man, whom they believe to be stalking them from above. Ed reaches an overhang and hides out until morning, when a man appears above him and aims a rifle at him; a panicked Ed clumsily shoots and manages to kill the man, but falls backwards and lands on one of his own arrows. Ed worries that he has killed the wrong man when he inspects the body to find that the man has all of his teeth, but he then realizes the man is wearing dentures. Ed and Bobby weigh down the man's body in the river to ensure it will never be found, then do the same to Drew's body when they encounter it downriver shortly after. |
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In 2001, the book was named as one of the 100 best English-language novels of the 20th century by the editorial board of the [[Modern Library|American Modern Library]]. The film was selected by the ''[[New York Times]]'' as one of "The Best 1,000 Movies Ever Made," whilst the viewers of [[Channel 4]] in the [[United Kingdom]] voted it 45 in a list of ''The 100 Greatest Films''. |
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Upon finally reaching the small town of Aintry, Ed and Bobby take Lewis to the hospital. The three carefully concoct a cover story for local authorities about Drew's death, lying about their adventure to Sheriff Bullard in order to escape a possible double murder charge. Their cover is almost blown when Ed thinks he has overheard Bobby secretly telling the sheriff the truth, but Bobby convinces him otherwise. Ed and Bobby visit Lewis in the hospital, where Lewis is being watched over by a police officer. A worried Ed whispers to Lewis that they need to change their cover story, but Lewis relaxes him by pretending that he has no memory of what happened after they fell off the canoes due to head trauma. Sheriff Bullard does not believe the men and reveals that Deputy Queen is suspicious of them because his brother-in-law went hunting a few days ago and has not returned. However, he has no evidence to arrest them, and instead tells them never to do "this kind of thing again" and to never come back to the area. The three men vow to keep their story of death and survival a secret for the rest of their lives. |
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==Plot== |
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{{spoiler}} |
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Four Atlanta businessmen — Lewis, Ed, Bobby, and Drew — (played by Reynolds, Voight, Beatty and Cox, respectively) decide to [[canoe]] down the fictional Cahulawassee River in the remote [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]] wilderness, expecting to have fun and see the glory of nature before the river valley is flooded over by the upcoming construction of a [[dam]] and lake. The trip turns into a terrifying ordeal revealing the primal nature of man, his animal instincts of predation and survival, and even his potential for violence. |
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[[Image:ReddenDeliverence.jpg|left|thumb|[[Billy Redden]] as "''Lonny''"]] |
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Traveling in pairs, the foursome's two canoes are briefly separated. The occupants of one canoe (Bobby and Ed) encounter a pair of grizzled [[hillbillies]] emerging from the woods, one wielding a loaded shotgun. Bobby is forced at gunpoint to strip naked, his ear twisted to bring him to his hands and knees, and then ordered to "squeal like a pig" before being brutally [[Rape|raped]] by one of the hillbillies while Ed is bound to a tree and held at gunpoint by the other, who is nearly toothless. After tormenting Bobby, the two turn their attention to Ed, as the toothless man declares, "He's got a real purty mouth, ain't he?" before he attempts to force Ed to fellate him. |
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Ed reunites with his wife and son. Some time after, a bloated hand rises from the lake, only to be revealed as a nightmare from the experience that torments Ed. |
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Hearing the commotion, Lewis — who is wary of danger in the woods — secretly sneaks up and kills the rapist with an arrow from his [[recurve bow]]. Meanwhile, the other hillbilly quickly escapes into the woods. After a brief but heated debate between Lewis and Drew about whether to inform the authorities, the men vote to side with Lewis' recommendation to bury the dead hillbilly's body and continue on as if nothing had happened. Lewis argues that they would not receive a fair trial, as the local [[jury]] would be composed of the dead man's friends and relatives. In addition, Bobby does not want what had happened to him to be known. |
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==Cast== |
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They run for it downriver, cutting their trip short, but soon disaster strikes as the canoes reach a dangerous stretch of [[rapids]]. As Drew and Ed reach the rapids in the leading canoe, Drew clutches his head and falls forward into the river. The reason for Drew's fall is left unclear although Lewis repeatedly yells that Drew was shot. However, the film ambigously suggests that Drew might have been unable to live with what they had done or return and the knowledge that would be concealing a homicide from everyone they knew and trusted. |
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<!--- Cast and order per tombstone opening credits, plus two named in synopsis, roles per closing credits scroll ---> |
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* [[Jon Voight]] as Ed Gentry |
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* [[Burt Reynolds]] as Lewis Medlock |
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* [[Ned Beatty]] as Bobby Trippe |
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* [[Ronny Cox]] as Drew Ballinger |
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* [[Bill McKinney]] as Mountain Man |
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* [[Herbert "Cowboy" Coward]] as Toothless Man |
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* [[James Dickey]] as Sheriff Bullard |
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* [[Billy Redden]] as Lonnie, the banjo boy |
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* [[Macon McCalman]] as Deputy Queen, whose brother-in-law is missing |
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Beatty's wife Belinda and Boorman's son [[Charley Boorman|Charley]] briefly appear as the wife and son of Voight's character in the final scene. |
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After Drew's fall into the river, the survivors enter dangerous [[rapids]], and both canoes collide on the rocks, spilling Lewis, Bobby, and Ed into the river. Lewis breaks his [[femur]] and the others are washed ashore alongside him. Encouraged by the badly-injured Lewis, who believes they are being stalked by the other hillbilly, Ed climbs a nearby rock face in order to dispatch the other hillbilly using his bow while Bobby stays behind to look after Lewis. Ed reaches the top and hides out until the next morning. The other hillbilly appears on the top of the cliff with a rifle, looking down into the gorge where Lewis and Bobby are located. Ed clumsily shoots, falls down on one of his own arrows, piercing himself on his side. It appears as if he has missed his target but as the hillbilly totters toward Ed to shoot him point blank, he falls down dead, revealing the arrow through his neck. |
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==Production== |
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Later, when Ed looks in the dead man's face, he notices that the man has front teeth; whereas the surviving hillbilly had not. Ed's horror is somewhat abated when he touches the man's teeth and realizes that the man is wearing removable false front teeth. He lowers the body and himself back to where Lewis and Bobby are. Bobby asks if Ed is sure that he killed the right guy. Ed is not entirely sure and shoves the dead man's face toward Bobby and says, "You tell me!" He ties a large rock to the body and sinks it. Ed, Bobby, and Lewis then continue downstream in the surviving canoe. |
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=== Casting === |
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Casting was by [[Lynn Stalmaster]]. Dickey had initially wanted [[Sam Peckinpah]] to direct the film.<ref name=iw/> Dickey also wanted [[Gene Hackman]] to portray Ed Gentry whereas Boorman wanted [[Lee Marvin]] to play the role.<ref name=iw/> Boorman also wanted [[Marlon Brando]] to play Lewis Medlock.<ref name=iw/> [[Jack Nicholson]] was considered for the role of Ed,<ref name=iw/> while both [[Donald Sutherland]] and [[Charlton Heston]] turned down the role of Lewis.<ref name=iw/> Other actors who were considered for the film included [[Robert Redford]], [[Henry Fonda]], [[George C. Scott]] and [[Warren Beatty]].<ref name=iw/> |
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===Filming=== |
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Shortly afterwards, they happen to come across Drew's body. Doubtful about what could have caused his death, Ed and Bobby opt to weigh down and bury Drew's body in the river to ensure it will never be found, rather than risk bringing it to town and incriminating themselves. They then canoe to the town of Aintry and take the injured Lewis to the hospital. They carefully concoct a cover story for the authorities about Drew's death and disappearance being an accident, lying about their ordeal to Sheriff Bullard (played by author James Dickey) in order to escape a possible double murder charge. The sheriff clearly does not believe them, but unable to find any conclusive evidence, he allows them to leave and tells the men never to come back. They readily agree. The trio vows to keep their story of death and survival a secret for the rest of their lives. At the end a man's hand is seen coming out of the river in Ed's dream, prophesizing the long struggle with his conscience that lies ahead for him. |
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''Deliverance'' was shot primarily in [[Rabun County, Georgia|Rabun County]] in northeastern Georgia. The canoe scenes were filmed in the [[Tallulah Gorge]] southeast of [[Clayton, Georgia|Clayton]] and on the [[Chattooga River]]. This river divides the northeastern corner of [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]] from the northwestern corner of [[South Carolina]]. Additional scenes were shot in [[Salem, South Carolina]]. Filming took place from May to August 1971.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0068473/locations/?ref_=tttr_ql_dt_5 | title=Deliverance (1972) - Filming & production - IMDb | website=[[IMDb]] }}</ref> |
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A scene was also shot at the Mount Carmel Baptist Church cemetery. This site has since been flooded and lies {{convert|130|feet}} under the surface of [[Lake Jocassee]], on the border between [[Oconee County, South Carolina|Oconee]] and [[Pickens County, South Carolina|Pickens]] counties in South Carolina.<ref name="jocassee">{{cite news | url=https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/greenvilleonline/access/1688999131.html?FMT=ABS&date=Feb+20,+2009 | title=Cable network to detail history of Lake Jocassee | access-date=2009-02-25 | work=The Greenville News | first=Anna | last=Simon | date=2009-02-20 | archive-date=June 4, 2011 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110604115051/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/greenvilleonline/access/1688999131.html?FMT=ABS&date=Feb+20,+2009 | url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.ohio.com/entertainment/mailbag/69264542.html|title=Body double plays banjo|first=Rich|last=Heldenfels|work=[[Akron Beacon Journal]]|date=2009-11-05|access-date=2009-11-06}}</ref> The dam shown under construction is [[Jocassee Dam]] near Salem, South Carolina. |
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== Trivia == |
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*There are two versions of the rape scene between Beatty and McKinney. The original movie version includes the scene, while another version, edited for broadcast television, does not have the Beatty character being raped--only ridiculed. <ref>{{cite web | title = Artistopia: Deliverance Biography | url = http://www.artistopia.com/deliverance }}</ref> |
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*Although the film closely follows the novel, some sections are different. Examples include the character description of Ed (in the novel, Ed was [[bald]] and in his late 40s), the missing introduction (explaining why they decided to go on a canoe trip instead of playing [[golf]]), and an [[epilogue]] after the tragedy. |
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*Ned Beatty claims to have come up with the infamous "squeal like a pig" line while he and actor Bill McKinney were improvising the scene.<ref>{{cite web | title = Ned Beatty: I created 'squeal like a pig' | url = http://www.cnn.com/2006/SHOWBIZ/03/20/showbuzz/index.html#1 }}</ref> |
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*[[Billy Redden]], the Banjo Boy, could not really play the banjo and all his music was dubbed. |
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*One local was played by Randall Leece Deal, a real convicted [[moonshiner]]. In 2006, he obtained a pardon for a [[conspiracy (crime)|conspiracy]] conviction from President [[George W. Bush]].<ref>{{cite web | title = Moonshiner who appeared in 'Deliverance' pardoned | publisher | The Associated Press - Atlanta | date = 2006 | url = http://www.accessnorthga.com/news/ap_newfullstory.asp?ID=79150 }}</ref> |
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*Several [[plot holes]] in the movie: |
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**Ed impales himself on an arrow-yet the succeding scenes show little bleeding for such a serious wound; also Ed would have been in danger from [[peritonitis]]. |
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**When Ed shoots the arrow at the hillman-they are ''facing one another''-yet when the man falls down dead, the arrow point in his neck is from ''back to front''. |
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**When Drew's body is found, the others examine his ''right'' temple for a gunshot wound, yet if he was shot, the bullet would have hit his ''left'' temple. |
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*John Boorman's gold record for the "Dueling Banjos" hit single was later stolen from his house by the Dublin gangster [[Martin Cahill]], a scene Boorman recreated in ''[[The General (1998 film)|The General]]'' (1998), his biographical film about Cahill. |
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*This film was #63 on [[Bravo (television network)|Bravo]]'s ''100 Scariest Movie Moments''. |
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During the filming of the canoe scene, author [[James Dickey]] showed up inebriated and entered into a bitter argument with producer-director [[John Boorman]], who had rewritten Dickey's script. They allegedly had a brief fistfight in which Boorman, a much smaller man than Dickey, suffered a broken nose and four shattered teeth.<ref name=iw>{{cite news|last=Lyttleton|first=Oliver|title=5 Things You Might Not Know About 'Deliverance,' Released 40 Years Ago Today|date=30 July 2012|work=[[IndieWire]]|url=http://www.indiewire.com/2012/07/5-things-you-might-not-know-about-deliverance-released-40-years-ago-today-251460/|access-date=28 September 2017}}</ref> Dickey was thrown off the set, but no charges were filed against him. The two reconciled and became good friends, and Boorman gave Dickey a cameo role as the sheriff at the end of the film. |
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==Characters== |
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*Drew Ballinger |
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*Sheriff Bullard |
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*Thad Emerson |
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*Dean Gentry |
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*Ed Gentry |
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*Martha Gentry |
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*Griner |
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*George Holley |
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*[[Kitt'n Britches]] model |
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*Lonnie<ref>[http://www.bookrags.com/studyguide-deliverance/char.html Characters from the book, Deliverance]. See [http://www.bookrags.com/Deliverance Deliverance summary] for additional citations.</ref> |
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The inspiration for the Cahulawassee River was the [[Coosawattee River]], which was dammed in the 1970s and contained several dangerous whitewater rapids before being flooded by [[Carters Lake (Blue Ridge Mountains)|Carters Lake]].<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Roper|first1=Daniel M.|title=The Story of the Coosawattee River Gorge|journal=North Georgia Journal|issue=Summer 1995|url=http://www.brownsguides.com/blog/coosawattee-river-gorge|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101222063750/http://www.brownsguides.com/blog/coosawattee-river-gorge |archive-date=2010-12-22 |url-status=dead}}</ref> |
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==Crew== |
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*Director: [[John Boorman]] |
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*Producer: John Boorman |
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*Original story: [[James Dickey]] from his novel |
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*Screenplay adaptation: James Dickey |
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*Cinematography: [[Vilmos Zsigmond]] |
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*Music: [[Eric Weissberg]] and [[Steve Mandell]] - ''Dueling Banjos'' (1955 composition by [[Arthur "Guitar Boogie" Smith]]) |
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=== Stunts === |
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The film is infamous for the cost cutting by the studio in an effort to kill it<ref>{{cite news |date=27 July 2022 |author=Adam Scovell |publisher=[[BBC]] |title=How masterly horror Deliverance set a controversial trend |url=https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20220727-how-rural-horror-deliverance-set-a-controversial-trend }}</ref> and having the actors perform their own stunts, such as Jon Voight notably climbing the cliff himself.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Pratt |first=Sean |title=Deliverance {{!}} SBIFF |url=https://sbiff.org/deliverance/ |access-date=2023-05-29 |language=en-US}}</ref> Reynolds requested to have one scene re-shot with himself in a canoe rather than a dummy as it tumbled over a real waterfall.<ref name=":0" /> Reynolds recalled his shoulder and head hitting rocks and floating downstream with all of his clothes torn off, then waking up with director Boorman at his bedside.<ref name=":0" /> Reynolds asked "How'd it look?" and Boorman said, "It looked like a dummy falling over a waterfall."<ref name=":0">{{cite web |date=20 September 2016 |title=That Time Burt Reynolds Tried To Go Down A Waterfall For A Movie Stunt |website=Cinemablend|url=https://www.cinemablend.com/news/1557830/that-time-burt-reynolds-tried-to-go-down-a-waterfall-for-a-movie-stunt }}</ref> Beatty almost drowned and Reynolds cracked his tailbone.<ref>{{cite news |date=17 June 2012 |author=Geoff Boucher |newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]] |title='Deliverance' crew returns to the river |url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-xpm-2012-jun-17-la-ca-deliverance-20120617-story.html }}</ref> |
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*[[Jon Voight]] - Ed Gentry |
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*[[Burt Reynolds]] - Lewis Medlock |
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*[[Ned Beatty]] - Bobby Trippe |
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*[[Ronny Cox]] - Drew Ballinger |
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*[[James Dickey]] - Sheriff Bullard |
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*[[Billy Redden]] - Lonny |
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*[[Seamon Glass]] - First Griner |
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*[[Randall Deal]] - Second Griner |
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*[[Bill McKinney]] - Don Job (Hillbilly) |
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*[[Herbert 'Cowboy' Coward]] - Toothless Man |
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Regarding the courage of the four main actors in the movie performing their own stunts without insurance protection, Dickey was quoted as saying all of them "had more guts than a burglar".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Culture |first=Center for the Study of Southern |title=Revisiting Deliverance |url=https://southernstudies.olemiss.edu/study-the-south/revisiting-deliverance/ |access-date=2023-05-29 |website=southernstudies.olemiss.edu |language=en}}</ref> In a nod to their stunt-performing audacity, early in the movie Lewis says, "Insurance? I've never been insured in my life. I don't believe in insurance. There's no risk". |
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==Award nominations== |
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*[[Academy Award for Best Picture]] |
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*[[Academy Award for Directing]] - [[John Boorman]] |
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*[[Academy Award for Film Editing]] - [[Tom Priestley]] |
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*[[New York Film Critics Circle]] for Best Film and Best Director |
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*[[Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture - Drama]] |
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*[[Golden Globe Award for Best Director - Motion Picture]] - John Boorman |
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*[[Golden Globe Award for Best Actor - Motion Picture Drama]] - [[Jon Voight]] |
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*[[List of Golden Globe Awards: Original Song|Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song]] - [[Arthur "Guitar Boogie" Smith]], [[Eric Weissberg]] and [[Steve Mandell]] |
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*[[List of Golden Globe Awards: Screenplay|Golden Globe Award for Best Screenplay]] - [[James Dickey]] |
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==="Squeal like a pig"=== |
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==Notes== |
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Several people have been credited with the phrase "squeal like a pig", the now-famous line spoken during the graphic rape scene. Ned Beatty said he thought of it while he and actor Bill McKinney (who played Beatty's rapist) were improvising the scene.<ref>Burger, Mark. (March 19, 2006). "[https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/journalnow/access/1005939731.html?dids=1005939731:1005939731&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Mar+19%2C+2006&author=Mark+Burger+JOURNAL+ARTS+REPORTER&pub=Winston+-+Salem+Journal&edition=&startpage=1&desc=BEATTY+GIVEN+MASTER+OF+CINEMA+AWARD+%3B+CHARACTER+ACTOR+IS+A+VETERAN+OF+MORE+THAN+200+FILM+AND+TELEVISION+PRODUCTIONS Beatty Given Master of Cinema Award; Character Actor Is a Veteran of More than 200 Film and Television Productions] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090323002208/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/journalnow/access/1005939731.html?dids=1005939731:1005939731&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Mar+19%2C+2006&author=Mark+Burger+JOURNAL+ARTS+REPORTER&pub=Winston+-+Salem+Journal&edition=&startpage=1&desc=BEATTY+GIVEN+MASTER+OF+CINEMA+AWARD+%3B+CHARACTER+ACTOR+IS+A+VETERAN+OF+MORE+THAN+200+FILM+AND+TELEVISION+PRODUCTIONS |date=March 23, 2009 }}", ''[[Winston-Salem Journal]]'', Page B1<br />"Regarding his debut film, ''Deliverance'' (1972), in which his character undergoes an unforgettably vivid sexual assault, Beatty said: 'The whole "squeal like a pig" thing ... came from guess who.' As the audience laughed, he theatrically put his head in his hands and silently pointed to himself, before elaborating how director Boorman encouraged him to improvise the scene with his onscreen tormentor, Bill McKinney."</ref> James Dickey's son, [[Christopher Dickey]], wrote in his memoir about the film production, ''Summer of Deliverance'', that because Boorman had rewritten so much dialogue for the scene one of the crewmen suggested that Beatty's character should just "squeal like a pig".<ref>{{cite book|title=Summer of Deliverance: A Memoir of Father and Son |first=Christopher |last=Dickey |author-link=Christopher Dickey |publisher=Simon and Schuster|year= 2010|isbn=978-1439129593|page=186}}</ref> Boorman, in a [[Audio commentary|DVD commentary]] he made for the film said the line was used because the studio wanted the male rape scene to be filmed in two ways: one for cinematic release and one that would be acceptable for television. As Boorman did not want to do that, he decided that the phrase "squeal like a pig", suggested by Rabun County liaison Frank Rickman, was a good replacement for the original dialogue in the script.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rabunhistory.org/history-sketches/frank-rickman-red-clay-michelangelo/|title=Rabun County Historical Society|publisher=www.rabunhistory.org|access-date=September 10, 2018|archive-date=July 15, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180715181240/https://www.rabunhistory.org/history-sketches/frank-rickman-red-clay-michelangelo/|url-status=dead}}</ref> Reynolds later recalled the scene as so uncomfortable cameramen avoided watching, and Reynolds opted to interrupt the filming. Reynolds said, "I asked John Boorman, the director, 'Why did you let it go that long?' He said, 'I wanted to take it as far as I could with the audience, and I figured you'd run in when it got too far.'"<ref name="ContactMusic2008"/> |
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<references/> |
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==Soundtrack and copyright dispute== |
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The [[Dueling Banjos (album)|film's soundtrack]] brought new attention to the musical work "[[Dueling Banjos]]", which had been recorded numerous times since 1955. Only [[Eric Weissberg]] and Steve Mandel were originally credited for the piece. The onscreen credits state that the song is an arrangement of the song "Feudin' Banjos", showing Combine Music Corp as the copyright owner. Songwriter and producer [[Arthur "Guitar Boogie" Smith]], who had written "Feudin' Banjos" in 1955, and recorded it with five-string banjo player [[Don Reno]], filed a lawsuit for songwriting credit and a percentage of royalties. He was awarded both in a landmark copyright infringement case.<ref>{{cite news |title=Country guitarist Arthur Smith dies |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-26885910 |work=[[BBC News]] |access-date=15 April 2015}}</ref> Smith asked Warner Bros. to include his name on the official soundtrack listing, but reportedly asked to be omitted from the film credits because he found the film offensive.<ref>{{cite news |first=Terence |last=McArdle |title=Arthur Smith, guitarist who wrote 'Guitar Boogie' and 'Duelin' Banjos,' dies at 93 |url=http://wapo.st/1ihceud |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |access-date=15 April 2015 |date=6 April 2014 |url-access=subscription }}</ref> |
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[[Joe Boyd]], who was producing the music for the movie ''Deliverance'', offered "Duelling Banjos" to [[Bill Keith (musician)|Bill Keith]], but as Bill was travelling in Europe and wanted to visit a girl in Ireland, he turned it down suggesting [[Eric Weissberg]] instead.<ref name=Boyd>Boyd, Joe, White Bicycles – Making Music in the 1960s, Serpent's Tail, 2006. Page 238. ISBN 1-85242-910-0</ref> |
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No credit was given for the film score. The film has a number of sparse, brooding passages of music scattered throughout, including several played on a synthesizer. Some prints of the movie omit much of this extra music. |
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Boorman was given a gold record for the "Dueling Banjos" hit single; this was later stolen from his house by the Dublin gangster [[Martin Cahill]]. Boorman recreated this scene in ''[[The General (1998 film)|The General]]'' (1998), his biographical film about Cahill.<ref>{{cite news|title=Artistic reunion brings Martin Cahill to life|url=http://irishecho.com/2011/02/artistic-reunion-bringsmartin-cahill-to-life-4/|access-date=2 April 2017|work=[[The Irish Echo]]|date=May 27 – June 2, 1998}}</ref> |
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===Charts=== |
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{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" |
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|+Chart performance for ''Deliverance'' soundtrack |
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!Chart (1973) |
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!Position |
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|- |
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!scope="row"|Australian Albums ([[Kent Music Report]])<ref name=aus>{{cite book|last=Kent|first=David|author-link=David Kent (historian)|title=Australian Chart Book 1970–1992|edition=illustrated|publisher=Australian Chart Book|location=St Ives, N.S.W.|year=1993|isbn=0-646-11917-6|page=281}}</ref> |
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|align="center"|61 |
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|} |
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==Reception== |
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===Commercial=== |
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''Deliverance'' was a box office success in the United States, becoming the [[1972 in film#Top grossing films (U.S.)|fifth-highest grossing film of 1972]], with a domestic take of over $46 million.<ref name="TN">{{cite web|url=http://www.the-numbers.com/movies/1972/0DLVR.php|publisher=The Numbers|title=Deliverance, Box Office Information|access-date=January 21, 2012}}</ref> The film's financial success continued the following year, when it went on to earn $18 million in North American "[[Gross rental|distributor rentals]]" (receipts).<ref>"Big Rental Films of 1973", ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'', 9 January 1974 p 19</ref> |
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===Critical=== |
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''Deliverance'' was well received by critics and is widely regarded as one of the best films of 1972.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.filmsite.org/1972.html |title=Greatest Films of 1972 |publisher=Filmsite.org |access-date=2012-05-05}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.films101.com/y1972r.htm |title=The Best Movies of 1972 by Rank |publisher=Films101.com |access-date=2012-05-05 |archive-date=November 6, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141106000954/http://www.films101.com/y1972r.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://cinepad.com/awards/best_70s.htm |title=Best Films of the 1970s |publisher=Cinepad.com |access-date=2012-05-05 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120510120236/http://cinepad.com/awards/best_70s.htm |archive-date=2012-05-10 }}</ref> On review aggregation website [[Rotten Tomatoes]], the film holds an 89% rating based on reviews from 65 critics, with an average rating of 8.40/10. The site's consensus states: "Given primal verve by John Boorman's unflinching direction and Burt Reynolds' star-making performance, ''Deliverance'' is a terrifying adventure."<ref>{{cite web |title=Deliverance |url=http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/deliverance/ |access-date=July 7, 2023 |website=[[Rotten Tomatoes]] |publisher=[[Fandango Media]]}}</ref> {{MC film|80|15|ref=yes|access-date=May 6, 2022}} |
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[[Gene Siskel]] of the ''[[Chicago Tribune]]'' gave the film four stars out of four and wrote, "It is a gripping horror story that at times may force you to look away from the screen, but it is so beautifully filmed that your eyes will eagerly return."<ref name="Siskel">{{cite news |last1=Siskel |first1=Gene |title=The Movies: Deliverance |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/77346990/ |work=Chicago Tribune |date=October 5, 1972 |page=Section 2, Page 5|via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> [[Charles Champlin]] of the ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' called it "an engrossing adventure, a demonstrable labor of love" carried by Voight and Reynolds.<ref>Champlin, Charles (August 13, 1972). "Men Against River—of Life?—in 'Deliverance'". ''[[Los Angeles Times]]''. Calendar, p. 17.</ref> Gary Arnold of ''[[The Washington Post]]'' wrote that the film was "certainly a distinctive and gripping piece of work, with a deliberately brooding, ominous tone and visual style that put you in a grave, fearful frame of mind, almost in spite of yourself."<ref>Arnold, Gary (October 5, 1972). "' Deliverance': A Gripping Piece of Work". ''[[The Washington Post]]''. B1.</ref> |
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Not all reviews were positive. [[Roger Ebert]] of the ''[[Chicago Sun-Times]]'' gave the film a mixed 2.5 stars out of a possible 4. He declared the film was "admittedly effective on the level of simple adventure" and had good performances, particularly from Voight and Reynolds. However, Ebert also wrote ''Deliverance'' "totally fails [in] its attempt to make some kind of significant statement about its action [...] It's possible to consider civilized men in a confrontation with the wilderness without throwing in rapes, cowboy-and-Indian stunts and pure exploitative sensationalism."<ref>[http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/deliverance-1972 "Deliverance"]. ''[[Chicago Sun-Times]]''.</ref> |
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Arthur D. Murphy of ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'' wrote that the setting was "majestic" but it was "in the fleshing out that the script fumbles, and with it the direction and acting."<ref>Murphy, Arthur D. (July 19, 1972). "[https://variety.com/review/VE1117790346 Film Reviews: Deliverance]". ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]''. 14.</ref> [[Vincent Canby]] of ''[[The New York Times]]'' was also generally negative, calling the film "a disappointment" because "so many of Dickey's lumpy narrative ideas remain in his screenplay that John Boorman's screen version becomes a lot less interesting than it has any right to be."<ref>Canby, Vincent (July 31, 1972). "[https://www.nytimes.com/1972/07/31/archives/the-screen-james-dickeys-deliverance-arrives-weekend-canoe-trip-of.html The Screen: James Dickey's 'Deliverance' Arrives]". ''[[The New York Times]]''. 21.</ref> |
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"[[Dueling Banjos]]" won the 1974 [[Grammy Award for Best Country Instrumental Performance]]. The film was selected by ''[[The New York Times]]'' as one of ''The Best 1,000 Movies Ever Made'', while the viewers of [[Channel 4]] in the United Kingdom voted it #45 on a list of ''The 100 Greatest Films''. Reynolds later called it "the best film I've ever been in".<ref>{{cite news|title=Workaholic Burt Reynolds sets up his next task: Light comedy |last=Siskel |first=Gene |author-link=Gene Siskel |work=[[Chicago Tribune]] |date=Nov 28, 1976|page=e2}}</ref> However, he stated that the rape scene went "too far".<ref name="ContactMusic2008">{{cite magazine|title=Reynolds: 'Deliverance Rape Scene Went Too Far'|date=21 January 2008|magazine=[[Contactmusic.com]]|url=http://www.contactmusic.com/burt-reynolds/news/reynolds-deliverance-rape-scene-went-too-far_1056945|access-date=28 September 2017}}</ref> |
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===Awards and nominations=== |
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{| class="wikitable" |
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|- |
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! Award |
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! Category |
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! Recipient |
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! Result |
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! Ref. |
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|- |
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| rowspan="3"| [[45th Academy Awards|Academy Awards]] |
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| [[Academy Award for Best Picture|Best Picture]] |
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| rowspan="2"| [[John Boorman]] |
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| {{nom}} |
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| rowspan="3" align="center"| <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1973 |title=The 45th Academy Awards (1973) Nominees and Winners |access-date=2011-12-06 |work=oscars.org}}</ref> |
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|- |
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| [[Academy Award for Best Director|Best Director]] |
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| {{nom}} |
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|- |
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| [[Academy Award for Best Film Editing|Best Film Editing]] |
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| [[Tom Priestley]] |
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| {{nom}} |
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|- |
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| rowspan="3"| [[26th British Academy Film Awards|British Academy Film Awards]] |
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| [[BAFTA Award for Best Cinematography|Best Cinematography]] |
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| [[Vilmos Zsigmond]] |
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| {{nom}} |
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| rowspan="3" align="center"| <ref>{{cite web |url=http://awards.bafta.org/award/1973/film |title=BAFTA Awards: Film in 1973 |website=[[BAFTA]] |year=1973 |access-date=16 September 2016 |ref={{harvid|BAFTA|1973}}}}</ref> |
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|- |
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| [[BAFTA Award for Best Editing|Best Film Editing]] |
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| Tom Priestley |
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| {{nom}} |
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|- |
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| [[BAFTA Award for Best Sound|Best Soundtrack]] |
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| Jim Atkinson, [[Walter Goss]], and Doug Turner |
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| {{nom}} |
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|- |
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| [[25th Directors Guild of America Awards|Directors Guild of America Awards]] |
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| [[Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directing – Feature Film|Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures]] |
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| John Boorman |
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| {{nom}} |
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| align="center"| <ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.dga.org/Awards/History/1970s/1972.aspx?value=1972 |title=25th DGA Awards |website=[[Directors Guild of America Awards]] |access-date=January 7, 2019}}</ref> |
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|- |
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| rowspan="5"| [[30th Golden Globe Awards|Golden Globe Awards]] |
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| colspan="2"| [[Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Drama|Best Motion Picture – Drama]] |
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| {{nom}} |
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| rowspan="5" align="center"| <ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.goldenglobes.com/film/deliverance |title=Deliverance – Golden Globes |website=[[HFPA]] |access-date=July 10, 2021 |ref={{harvid|HFPA|1973}}}}</ref> |
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|- |
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| [[Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama|Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama]] |
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| [[Jon Voight]] |
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| {{nom}} |
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|- |
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| [[Golden Globe Award for Best Director|Best Director – Motion Picture]] |
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| John Boorman |
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| {{nom}} |
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|- |
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| [[Golden Globe Award for Best Screenplay|Best Screenplay – Motion Picture]] |
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| [[James Dickey]] |
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| {{nom}} |
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|- |
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| [[Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song|Best Original Song – Motion Picture]] |
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| "[[Dueling Banjos]]" <br> Music by [[Arthur "Guitar Boogie" Smith|Arthur Smith]]; <br> Adaptation by [[Eric Weissberg]] |
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| {{nom}} |
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|- |
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| [[National Board of Review Awards 1972|National Board of Review Awards]] |
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| colspan="2"| [[National Board of Review: Top Ten Films|Top Ten Films]] |
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| {{draw|7th Place}} |
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| align="center"| <ref>{{cite web|url=https://nationalboardofreview.org/award-years/1972/ |title=1972 Award Winners |website=[[National Board of Review]] |access-date=July 5, 2021}}</ref> |
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|- |
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| [[National Film Preservation Board]] |
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| colspan="2"| [[National Film Registry]] |
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| {{won|Inducted}} |
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| align="center"| <ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.loc.gov/programs/national-film-preservation-board/film-registry/complete-national-film-registry-listing/ |title=Complete National Film Registry Listing |website=[[Library of Congress]] |access-date=December 16, 2015}}</ref> |
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|- |
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| [[Turkish Film Critics Association|Turkish Film Critics Association Awards]] |
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| colspan="2"| Best Foreign Film |
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| {{draw|9th Place}} |
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| align="center"| |
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|- |
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| [[25th Writers Guild of America Awards|Writers Guild of America Awards]] |
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| [[Writers Guild of America Award for Best Adapted Screenplay|Best Drama – Adapted from Another Medium]] |
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| James Dickey |
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| {{nom}} |
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| align="center"| <ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.wga.org/awards/awardssub.aspx?id=1551 |title=Awards Winners |date= |work=Writers Guild of America |archive-url=https://archive.today/20121205095022/http://www.wga.org/awards/awardssub.aspx?id=1551 |archive-date=2012-12-05 |access-date=2010-06-06 |language=en}}</ref> |
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|} |
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====American Film Institute lists==== |
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* [[AFI's 100 Years...100 Thrills]]—#15 |
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==Legacy== |
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Following the film's release, Governor [[Jimmy Carter]] established a state film commission to encourage television and movie production in Georgia. The state has "become one of the top five production destinations in the U.S".<ref name="welles">{{cite web|url= http://www.marketplace.org/topics/life/40-years-later-deliverance-causes-mixed-feelings-georgia |last=Welles |first= Cory |title=40 years later, 'Deliverance' causes mixed feelings in Georgia|website=Marketplace|date= August 22, 2012|access-date= August 27, 2014}}</ref> Tourism increased to Rabun County by the tens of thousands after the film's release. By 2012, tourism was the largest source of revenue in the county, and rafting had developed as a $20 million industry in the region.<ref name="welles"/> Jon Voight's stunt double for this film, Claude Terry, later purchased equipment used in the movie from Warner Brothers. He founded a whitewater rafting adventure company on the Chattooga River, Southeastern Expeditions.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.southeasternexpeditions.com/about-us/ |website=Southeastern Expeditions|title=About us|date=8 April 2013 |access-date= August 19, 2013}}</ref> Payson Kennedy, the stunt double for Ned Beatty, established the Nantahala Outdoor Center with his wife and Horace Holden along the [[Nantahala River]] in [[Swain County]], North Carolina, in 1972, the same year that ''Deliverance'' was released.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Knoepp |first1=Lilly |title=Exploring Southern Appalachia: 'Deliverance' And Beyond |url=https://www.bpr.org/post/exploring-southern-appalachia-deliverance-and-beyond#stream/0 |website=Blue Ridge Public Radio |date=2 September 2019 |access-date=1 November 2020}}</ref> |
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==See also== |
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* [[List of American films of 1972]] |
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* [[List of cult films]] |
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* [[Survival film]], about the film genre, with a list of related films |
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==References== |
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{{Reflist}} |
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==Further reading== |
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* Tibbetts, John C., and James M. Welsh, eds. ''The Encyclopedia of Novels Into Film'' (2nd ed. 2005) pp 94–95.{{ISBN needed}} |
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* ''Deliverance'' essay by Daniel Eagan in America's Film Legacy: The Authoritative Guide to the Landmark Movies in the National Film Registry, A&C Black, 2010 {{ISBN|0826429777}}, pages 686-688 [https://books.google.com/books?id=deq3xI8OmCkC] |
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==External links== |
==External links== |
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{{Wikiquote}} |
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*{{imdb title|id=0068473}} |
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* {{IMDb title|0068473|Deliverance}} |
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* [http://www.alternativereel.com/cult-fiction/Weekend_in_Aintry.html/ Weekend in Aintry! James Dickey & The Making of Deliverance] |
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* {{AFI film|id=54452|title=Deliverance}} |
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* [http://dutch-burt.spaces.live.com/blog/cns!92C06ABCF6BD1502!395.entry Pictures of some deleted scenes] |
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* {{TCMDb title|22066|Deliverance}} |
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* [https://web.archive.org/web/20170223130805/http://www.alternativereel.com/cult_movies/display_article.php?id=0000000053 Weekend in Aintry! James Dickey and The Making of ''Deliverance''] |
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* [https://dutchburt.wordpress.com/2006/10/22/new-deliverance-dvd-in-2007/ Pictures of some deleted scenes] |
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{{John Boorman}} |
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{{Appalachian people}} |
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{{Authority control}} |
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Deliverance}} |
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[[Category:1972 thriller films]] |
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[[Category:Films set in Atlanta]] |
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[[Category:Films about rape in the United States]] |
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[[de:Beim Sterben ist jeder der Erste]] |
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[[it:Un tranquillo week-end di paura]] |
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[[simple:Deliverance]] |
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[[sv:Den sista färden]] |
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Latest revision as of 14:10, 11 December 2024
| Deliverance | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster by Bill Gold | |
| Directed by | John Boorman |
| Screenplay by | James Dickey |
| Based on | Deliverance by James Dickey |
| Produced by | John Boorman |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Vilmos Zsigmond |
| Edited by | Tom Priestley |
| Music by | Eric Weissberg |
Production company | Elmer Enterprises |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. |
Release date |
|
Running time | 109 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $2 million |
| Box office | $46.1 million |
Deliverance is a 1972 American thriller film directed and produced by John Boorman from a screenplay by James Dickey, who adapted it from his own 1970 novel. It follows four businessmen from Atlanta who venture into the remote northern Georgia wilderness to see the Cahulawassee River before it is dammed, only to find themselves in danger from the area's inhabitants and nature. It stars Jon Voight, Burt Reynolds, Ned Beatty, and Ronny Cox, with the latter two making their feature film debuts.
Deliverance was a critical and commercial success. It earned three Academy Award nominations and five Golden Globe Award nominations, and grossed $46.1 million on a budget of $2 million. It became a popular culture landmark for a scene featuring Cox's character playing "Dueling Banjos" on guitar with a banjo-picking country boy, and garnered notoriety for a scene in which Beatty's character is brutally raped by a mountain man. In 2008, it was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".[1][2]
Plot
Lewis Medlock, Ed Gentry, Bobby Trippe, and Drew Ballinger are Atlanta businessmen who decide to canoe down the Cahulawassee River in the remote northern Georgia wilderness before it is dammed. Lewis is an avid outdoorsman and survivalist who leads the group, and Ed has been on several trips but lacks Lewis's ego, while Bobby and Drew are novices. En route to their launch site, the men, in particular Bobby, are rude toward the locals, who are hostile to the "city boys". At a local gas station, Drew, with his guitar, engages a young banjo-playing boy in a musical duel. The duel is mutually enjoyable, and some of the locals break into dance at the sound of it. However, the boy does not acknowledge Drew when prompted for a friendly handshake.
The four friends travel in pairs and their two canoes become separated. Ed and Bobby encounter a pair of mountain men emerging from the woods, one carrying a shotgun and missing his two front teeth. Following an argument, Bobby is forced by the men to undress and the unarmed man rapes him, demanding he "squeal like a pig", while Ed is tied to a tree and held at gunpoint. Lewis sneaks up and kills the rapist with his bow and arrow while Ed snatches the shotgun from the other mountain man, who flees into the woods. After a heated debate between Lewis and Drew, Ed and Bobby vote to side with Lewis' plan to bury the body and continue on as if nothing had happened. The four continue downriver but the canoes reach a dangerous stretch of rapids. As Drew and Ed reach the rapids in the lead canoe, Drew falls into the water.
The canoes collide on the rocks, throwing the three remaining men into the river and smashing one of the canoes. Lewis breaks his thigh bone and the other two are washed ashore alongside him in a gorge. Lewis, who believes Drew fell out of the boat because he was shot, encourages Ed to climb to the top of the gorge and ambush the other mountain man, whom they believe to be stalking them from above. Ed reaches an overhang and hides out until morning, when a man appears above him and aims a rifle at him; a panicked Ed clumsily shoots and manages to kill the man, but falls backwards and lands on one of his own arrows. Ed worries that he has killed the wrong man when he inspects the body to find that the man has all of his teeth, but he then realizes the man is wearing dentures. Ed and Bobby weigh down the man's body in the river to ensure it will never be found, then do the same to Drew's body when they encounter it downriver shortly after.
Upon finally reaching the small town of Aintry, Ed and Bobby take Lewis to the hospital. The three carefully concoct a cover story for local authorities about Drew's death, lying about their adventure to Sheriff Bullard in order to escape a possible double murder charge. Their cover is almost blown when Ed thinks he has overheard Bobby secretly telling the sheriff the truth, but Bobby convinces him otherwise. Ed and Bobby visit Lewis in the hospital, where Lewis is being watched over by a police officer. A worried Ed whispers to Lewis that they need to change their cover story, but Lewis relaxes him by pretending that he has no memory of what happened after they fell off the canoes due to head trauma. Sheriff Bullard does not believe the men and reveals that Deputy Queen is suspicious of them because his brother-in-law went hunting a few days ago and has not returned. However, he has no evidence to arrest them, and instead tells them never to do "this kind of thing again" and to never come back to the area. The three men vow to keep their story of death and survival a secret for the rest of their lives.
Ed reunites with his wife and son. Some time after, a bloated hand rises from the lake, only to be revealed as a nightmare from the experience that torments Ed.
Cast
- Jon Voight as Ed Gentry
- Burt Reynolds as Lewis Medlock
- Ned Beatty as Bobby Trippe
- Ronny Cox as Drew Ballinger
- Bill McKinney as Mountain Man
- Herbert "Cowboy" Coward as Toothless Man
- James Dickey as Sheriff Bullard
- Billy Redden as Lonnie, the banjo boy
- Macon McCalman as Deputy Queen, whose brother-in-law is missing
Beatty's wife Belinda and Boorman's son Charley briefly appear as the wife and son of Voight's character in the final scene.
Production
Casting
Casting was by Lynn Stalmaster. Dickey had initially wanted Sam Peckinpah to direct the film.[3] Dickey also wanted Gene Hackman to portray Ed Gentry whereas Boorman wanted Lee Marvin to play the role.[3] Boorman also wanted Marlon Brando to play Lewis Medlock.[3] Jack Nicholson was considered for the role of Ed,[3] while both Donald Sutherland and Charlton Heston turned down the role of Lewis.[3] Other actors who were considered for the film included Robert Redford, Henry Fonda, George C. Scott and Warren Beatty.[3]
Filming
Deliverance was shot primarily in Rabun County in northeastern Georgia. The canoe scenes were filmed in the Tallulah Gorge southeast of Clayton and on the Chattooga River. This river divides the northeastern corner of Georgia from the northwestern corner of South Carolina. Additional scenes were shot in Salem, South Carolina. Filming took place from May to August 1971.[4]
A scene was also shot at the Mount Carmel Baptist Church cemetery. This site has since been flooded and lies 130 feet (40 m) under the surface of Lake Jocassee, on the border between Oconee and Pickens counties in South Carolina.[5][6] The dam shown under construction is Jocassee Dam near Salem, South Carolina.
During the filming of the canoe scene, author James Dickey showed up inebriated and entered into a bitter argument with producer-director John Boorman, who had rewritten Dickey's script. They allegedly had a brief fistfight in which Boorman, a much smaller man than Dickey, suffered a broken nose and four shattered teeth.[3] Dickey was thrown off the set, but no charges were filed against him. The two reconciled and became good friends, and Boorman gave Dickey a cameo role as the sheriff at the end of the film.
The inspiration for the Cahulawassee River was the Coosawattee River, which was dammed in the 1970s and contained several dangerous whitewater rapids before being flooded by Carters Lake.[7]
Stunts
The film is infamous for the cost cutting by the studio in an effort to kill it[8] and having the actors perform their own stunts, such as Jon Voight notably climbing the cliff himself.[9] Reynolds requested to have one scene re-shot with himself in a canoe rather than a dummy as it tumbled over a real waterfall.[10] Reynolds recalled his shoulder and head hitting rocks and floating downstream with all of his clothes torn off, then waking up with director Boorman at his bedside.[10] Reynolds asked "How'd it look?" and Boorman said, "It looked like a dummy falling over a waterfall."[10] Beatty almost drowned and Reynolds cracked his tailbone.[11]
Regarding the courage of the four main actors in the movie performing their own stunts without insurance protection, Dickey was quoted as saying all of them "had more guts than a burglar".[12] In a nod to their stunt-performing audacity, early in the movie Lewis says, "Insurance? I've never been insured in my life. I don't believe in insurance. There's no risk".
"Squeal like a pig"
Several people have been credited with the phrase "squeal like a pig", the now-famous line spoken during the graphic rape scene. Ned Beatty said he thought of it while he and actor Bill McKinney (who played Beatty's rapist) were improvising the scene.[13] James Dickey's son, Christopher Dickey, wrote in his memoir about the film production, Summer of Deliverance, that because Boorman had rewritten so much dialogue for the scene one of the crewmen suggested that Beatty's character should just "squeal like a pig".[14] Boorman, in a DVD commentary he made for the film said the line was used because the studio wanted the male rape scene to be filmed in two ways: one for cinematic release and one that would be acceptable for television. As Boorman did not want to do that, he decided that the phrase "squeal like a pig", suggested by Rabun County liaison Frank Rickman, was a good replacement for the original dialogue in the script.[15] Reynolds later recalled the scene as so uncomfortable cameramen avoided watching, and Reynolds opted to interrupt the filming. Reynolds said, "I asked John Boorman, the director, 'Why did you let it go that long?' He said, 'I wanted to take it as far as I could with the audience, and I figured you'd run in when it got too far.'"[16]
Soundtrack and copyright dispute
The film's soundtrack brought new attention to the musical work "Dueling Banjos", which had been recorded numerous times since 1955. Only Eric Weissberg and Steve Mandel were originally credited for the piece. The onscreen credits state that the song is an arrangement of the song "Feudin' Banjos", showing Combine Music Corp as the copyright owner. Songwriter and producer Arthur "Guitar Boogie" Smith, who had written "Feudin' Banjos" in 1955, and recorded it with five-string banjo player Don Reno, filed a lawsuit for songwriting credit and a percentage of royalties. He was awarded both in a landmark copyright infringement case.[17] Smith asked Warner Bros. to include his name on the official soundtrack listing, but reportedly asked to be omitted from the film credits because he found the film offensive.[18]
Joe Boyd, who was producing the music for the movie Deliverance, offered "Duelling Banjos" to Bill Keith, but as Bill was travelling in Europe and wanted to visit a girl in Ireland, he turned it down suggesting Eric Weissberg instead.[19]
No credit was given for the film score. The film has a number of sparse, brooding passages of music scattered throughout, including several played on a synthesizer. Some prints of the movie omit much of this extra music.
Boorman was given a gold record for the "Dueling Banjos" hit single; this was later stolen from his house by the Dublin gangster Martin Cahill. Boorman recreated this scene in The General (1998), his biographical film about Cahill.[20]
Charts
| Chart (1973) | Position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums (Kent Music Report)[21] | 61 |
Reception
Commercial
Deliverance was a box office success in the United States, becoming the fifth-highest grossing film of 1972, with a domestic take of over $46 million.[22] The film's financial success continued the following year, when it went on to earn $18 million in North American "distributor rentals" (receipts).[23]
Critical
Deliverance was well received by critics and is widely regarded as one of the best films of 1972.[24][25][26] On review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an 89% rating based on reviews from 65 critics, with an average rating of 8.40/10. The site's consensus states: "Given primal verve by John Boorman's unflinching direction and Burt Reynolds' star-making performance, Deliverance is a terrifying adventure."[27] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 80 out of 100, based on 15 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[28]
Gene Siskel of the Chicago Tribune gave the film four stars out of four and wrote, "It is a gripping horror story that at times may force you to look away from the screen, but it is so beautifully filmed that your eyes will eagerly return."[29] Charles Champlin of the Los Angeles Times called it "an engrossing adventure, a demonstrable labor of love" carried by Voight and Reynolds.[30] Gary Arnold of The Washington Post wrote that the film was "certainly a distinctive and gripping piece of work, with a deliberately brooding, ominous tone and visual style that put you in a grave, fearful frame of mind, almost in spite of yourself."[31]
Not all reviews were positive. Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film a mixed 2.5 stars out of a possible 4. He declared the film was "admittedly effective on the level of simple adventure" and had good performances, particularly from Voight and Reynolds. However, Ebert also wrote Deliverance "totally fails [in] its attempt to make some kind of significant statement about its action [...] It's possible to consider civilized men in a confrontation with the wilderness without throwing in rapes, cowboy-and-Indian stunts and pure exploitative sensationalism."[32]
Arthur D. Murphy of Variety wrote that the setting was "majestic" but it was "in the fleshing out that the script fumbles, and with it the direction and acting."[33] Vincent Canby of The New York Times was also generally negative, calling the film "a disappointment" because "so many of Dickey's lumpy narrative ideas remain in his screenplay that John Boorman's screen version becomes a lot less interesting than it has any right to be."[34]
"Dueling Banjos" won the 1974 Grammy Award for Best Country Instrumental Performance. The film was selected by The New York Times as one of The Best 1,000 Movies Ever Made, while the viewers of Channel 4 in the United Kingdom voted it #45 on a list of The 100 Greatest Films. Reynolds later called it "the best film I've ever been in".[35] However, he stated that the rape scene went "too far".[16]
Awards and nominations
American Film Institute lists
Legacy
Following the film's release, Governor Jimmy Carter established a state film commission to encourage television and movie production in Georgia. The state has "become one of the top five production destinations in the U.S".[43] Tourism increased to Rabun County by the tens of thousands after the film's release. By 2012, tourism was the largest source of revenue in the county, and rafting had developed as a $20 million industry in the region.[43] Jon Voight's stunt double for this film, Claude Terry, later purchased equipment used in the movie from Warner Brothers. He founded a whitewater rafting adventure company on the Chattooga River, Southeastern Expeditions.[44] Payson Kennedy, the stunt double for Ned Beatty, established the Nantahala Outdoor Center with his wife and Horace Holden along the Nantahala River in Swain County, North Carolina, in 1972, the same year that Deliverance was released.[45]
See also
- List of American films of 1972
- List of cult films
- Survival film, about the film genre, with a list of related films
References
- ^ "Cinematic Classics, Legendary Stars, Comedic Legends and Novice Filmmakers Showcase the 2008 Film Registry". Library of Congress. Retrieved September 25, 2020.
- ^ "Complete National Film Registry Listing". Library of Congress. Retrieved September 25, 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f g Lyttleton, Oliver (July 30, 2012). "5 Things You Might Not Know About 'Deliverance,' Released 40 Years Ago Today". IndieWire. Retrieved September 28, 2017.
- ^ "Deliverance (1972) - Filming & production - IMDb". IMDb.
- ^ Simon, Anna (February 20, 2009). "Cable network to detail history of Lake Jocassee". The Greenville News. Archived from the original on June 4, 2011. Retrieved February 25, 2009.
- ^ Heldenfels, Rich (November 5, 2009). "Body double plays banjo". Akron Beacon Journal. Retrieved November 6, 2009.
- ^ Roper, Daniel M. "The Story of the Coosawattee River Gorge". North Georgia Journal (Summer 1995). Archived from the original on December 22, 2010.
- ^ Adam Scovell (July 27, 2022). "How masterly horror Deliverance set a controversial trend". BBC.
- ^ Pratt, Sean. "Deliverance | SBIFF". Retrieved May 29, 2023.
- ^ a b c "That Time Burt Reynolds Tried To Go Down A Waterfall For A Movie Stunt". Cinemablend. September 20, 2016.
- ^ Geoff Boucher (June 17, 2012). "'Deliverance' crew returns to the river". Los Angeles Times.
- ^ Culture, Center for the Study of Southern. "Revisiting Deliverance". southernstudies.olemiss.edu. Retrieved May 29, 2023.
- ^ Burger, Mark. (March 19, 2006). "Beatty Given Master of Cinema Award; Character Actor Is a Veteran of More than 200 Film and Television Productions Archived March 23, 2009, at the Wayback Machine", Winston-Salem Journal, Page B1
"Regarding his debut film, Deliverance (1972), in which his character undergoes an unforgettably vivid sexual assault, Beatty said: 'The whole "squeal like a pig" thing ... came from guess who.' As the audience laughed, he theatrically put his head in his hands and silently pointed to himself, before elaborating how director Boorman encouraged him to improvise the scene with his onscreen tormentor, Bill McKinney." - ^ Dickey, Christopher (2010). Summer of Deliverance: A Memoir of Father and Son. Simon and Schuster. p. 186. ISBN 978-1439129593.
- ^ "Rabun County Historical Society". www.rabunhistory.org. Archived from the original on July 15, 2018. Retrieved September 10, 2018.
- ^ a b "Reynolds: 'Deliverance Rape Scene Went Too Far'". Contactmusic.com. January 21, 2008. Retrieved September 28, 2017.
- ^ "Country guitarist Arthur Smith dies". BBC News. Retrieved April 15, 2015.
- ^ McArdle, Terence (April 6, 2014). "Arthur Smith, guitarist who wrote 'Guitar Boogie' and 'Duelin' Banjos,' dies at 93". The Washington Post. Retrieved April 15, 2015.
- ^ Boyd, Joe, White Bicycles – Making Music in the 1960s, Serpent's Tail, 2006. Page 238. ISBN 1-85242-910-0
- ^ "Artistic reunion brings Martin Cahill to life". The Irish Echo. May 27 – June 2, 1998. Retrieved April 2, 2017.
- ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 281. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
- ^ "Deliverance, Box Office Information". The Numbers. Retrieved January 21, 2012.
- ^ "Big Rental Films of 1973", Variety, 9 January 1974 p 19
- ^ "Greatest Films of 1972". Filmsite.org. Retrieved May 5, 2012.
- ^ "The Best Movies of 1972 by Rank". Films101.com. Archived from the original on November 6, 2014. Retrieved May 5, 2012.
- ^ "Best Films of the 1970s". Cinepad.com. Archived from the original on May 10, 2012. Retrieved May 5, 2012.
- ^ "Deliverance". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved July 7, 2023.
- ^ "Deliverance". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved May 6, 2022.
- ^ Siskel, Gene (October 5, 1972). "The Movies: Deliverance". Chicago Tribune. p. Section 2, Page 5 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Champlin, Charles (August 13, 1972). "Men Against River—of Life?—in 'Deliverance'". Los Angeles Times. Calendar, p. 17.
- ^ Arnold, Gary (October 5, 1972). "' Deliverance': A Gripping Piece of Work". The Washington Post. B1.
- ^ "Deliverance". Chicago Sun-Times.
- ^ Murphy, Arthur D. (July 19, 1972). "Film Reviews: Deliverance". Variety. 14.
- ^ Canby, Vincent (July 31, 1972). "The Screen: James Dickey's 'Deliverance' Arrives". The New York Times. 21.
- ^ Siskel, Gene (November 28, 1976). "Workaholic Burt Reynolds sets up his next task: Light comedy". Chicago Tribune. p. e2.
- ^ "The 45th Academy Awards (1973) Nominees and Winners". oscars.org. Retrieved December 6, 2011.
- ^ "BAFTA Awards: Film in 1973". BAFTA. 1973. Retrieved September 16, 2016.
- ^ "25th DGA Awards". Directors Guild of America Awards. Retrieved January 7, 2019.
- ^ "Deliverance – Golden Globes". HFPA. Retrieved July 10, 2021.
- ^ "1972 Award Winners". National Board of Review. Retrieved July 5, 2021.
- ^ "Complete National Film Registry Listing". Library of Congress. Retrieved December 16, 2015.
- ^ "Awards Winners". Writers Guild of America. Archived from the original on December 5, 2012. Retrieved June 6, 2010.
- ^ a b Welles, Cory (August 22, 2012). "40 years later, 'Deliverance' causes mixed feelings in Georgia". Marketplace. Retrieved August 27, 2014.
- ^ "About us". Southeastern Expeditions. April 8, 2013. Retrieved August 19, 2013.
- ^ Knoepp, Lilly (September 2, 2019). "Exploring Southern Appalachia: 'Deliverance' And Beyond". Blue Ridge Public Radio. Retrieved November 1, 2020.
Further reading
- Tibbetts, John C., and James M. Welsh, eds. The Encyclopedia of Novels Into Film (2nd ed. 2005) pp 94–95.[ISBN missing]
- Deliverance essay by Daniel Eagan in America's Film Legacy: The Authoritative Guide to the Landmark Movies in the National Film Registry, A&C Black, 2010 ISBN 0826429777, pages 686-688 [1]
External links
- Deliverance at IMDb
- Deliverance at the AFI Catalog of Feature Films
- Deliverance at the TCM Movie Database
- Weekend in Aintry! James Dickey and The Making of Deliverance
- Pictures of some deleted scenes
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
- 1972 films
- 1970s adventure films
- 1970s American films
- 1970s English-language films
- 1972 thriller films
- 1972 drama films
- American adventure drama films
- American rape and revenge films
- American survival films
- American thriller films
- Films based on American novels
- Films directed by John Boorman
- Films set in Appalachia
- Films set in Atlanta
- Films about rape in the United States
- Films set in forests
- Films set in Georgia (U.S. state)
- Films shot in Georgia (U.S. state)
- Films shot in North Carolina
- Films shot in South Carolina
- Southern Gothic films
- United States National Film Registry films
- Warner Bros. films
- Whitewater films
- English-language adventure films
- English-language thriller films